


Charmed 110: Dead Of Night

by Metal_Ox137



Series: Charmed AU1 [10]
Category: Charmed (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 01:16:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5111054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Ox137/pseuds/Metal_Ox137
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the catacombs beneath the city, the sisters make a terrifying discovery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charmed 110: Dead Of Night

It was a cold, rainy night in February, and in Prue Trudeau's small apartment, the eldest of the Halliwell sisters was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her siblings. She sat on the couch, restlessly turning the pages of an art magazine without really reading it. As Paige and Phoebe came in through the apartment door, Prue looked up with relief.  
"Where have you been?" she asked with obvious concern. "I was really starting to get worried."  
Ebony haired Paige Matthews couldn't even be bothered to shrug off her raincoat. "Prue! My dad is alive!" she blurted out breathlessly. "My real dad! We saw him! Phoebe and I saw him!"  
"What?" Prue got up from the couch and discarded her magazine. "When was this?"  
"Just now! Just before we got here! He's alive, Prue! And he's a - a White Lantern?" Paige glanced back at Phoebe for confirmation.  
"A White LIGHTER?" Prue asked, her eyes widening in surprise.  
"That's it!" Paige nodded empathically.  
"Did you speak to him?"  
"We tried," Phoebe Halliwell said tonelessly, hanging up her dripping raincoat and wiping back her auburn hair, matted and dampened by the rain. "He took off as soon we spotted him."  
"He disappeared in a big ball of light, Prue, the same light like when I healed your hand!" Paige added.  
While Paige was euphoric, Phoebe was uncharacteristically restrained, and Prue instantly sensed that her younger sister was nursing a deep and rapidly growing anger.  
Prue's fiancé, Darryl Morris, came out of the kitchen, along with Prue's four year old daughter, Patience.  
"Hey, guys," he greeted them. "You got back late. We were just about to have dinner."  
Patience went scurrying into Phoebe's arms, but even the presence of her niece did not raise even a hint of a smile from Phoebe. She picked up the child and kissed her tenderly, but her eyes remained on Prue.  
"What happened?" Prue asked hesitantly.  
"Paige and I were cornered by a swarm of demons, all of whom were calling me the Queen of Hell," Phoebe answered, with an unmistakable edge to her voice.  
Prue blanched and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, God."  
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"  
"Oh, Phoebe, oh my God, I am so sorry - "  
Phoebe held up her free hand. "Prue, I don't want to hear how sorry you are," she said, too quietly.  
"You guys are okay?"  
"We're fine," Phoebe declared flatly.  
"Phoebe, please, I - "  
"Don't apologize to me, Prue," Phoebe said evenly. "That's not what I need from you right now."  
Even Paige was taken aback by Phoebe's demeanor. "Pheeble, you okay?" she asked in a small voice.  
"Phoebe, I swear to you, I was only trying to protect you, and Paige," Prue said, anguished.  
"I know," Phoebe forced herself to speak in softer tones. "I know you are. And I know you've been doing that with the very best of intentions. That's why I'm not screaming at the top of my lungs right now. But I need answers, Prue. It's time for you to stop protecting us, and start sharing with us."  
"You're right," Prue admitted contritely. "You're absolutely right."  
"Guys? What's going on?" Paige asked, seeing uncharacteristic tension between her sisters.  
"Let's have dinner," Prue suggested, all conciliation, "And after we put Patience to bed, I will tell you guys everything."  
Phoebe allowed herself to accept that answer. She kissed her niece again, and before setting her down, whispered in the child's ear: "Go give your Auntie Paige a big hug." And Patience promptly did just that.  
"You guys are really okay?" Prue asked again, nearly beside herself with worry and guilt.  
"We are," Phoebe nodded, and with effort she managed the barest hint of a smile. She let out a big sigh, releasing her tension. "It's been a really long day, Prue. And Paige and I do have a lot to tell you."  
"Dinner first?" Darryl suggested quietly, hoping the tension was now defused.  
"Dinner first," Phoebe agreed, and for the first time since arriving, managed one of her radiant smiles. 

Two hours later, the dishes cleared away, Paige read "The Owl and the Pussycat" for her niece. After Patience was tucked into bed, the adults returned to the living room. Over dinner, the "safe" topic had been the sudden appearance of Paige's birth father, and speculation over his identity and whereabouts dominated. Now, though, it was Phoebe's turn for answers, and she settled into her favorite chair expectantly. Paige pulled up another chair, and Prue and Darryl sat side by side on the couch.  
"Let's start by having you tell me everything that happened today," Prue suggested. "And then, whatever questions you have, I will try to answer them."  
"Well, it all started when Phoebe and I went to look at this apartment in Chinatown - " Paige began, and then cut herself off, suddenly remembering Prue hadn't been warned of Phoebe's impending departure.  
Prue frowned, first in confusion, then in dismay. "You were looking at apartments?" She turned to Phoebe. "You're - moving out?" Prue could barely ask the question, and she looked as if she had just been kicked. Phoebe felt a pang of guilt, but she nodded in the affirmative.  
"Paige and I are going to move into a place together," she said quietly.  
"Oh." Prue's response was deflated, and it was all she could do to not completely crumple in front of her family.  
"Prue." Sensing her anguish, Phoebe called her sister's name softly. "I'm not moving out because I'm leaving you. I'm moving out because I'm staying."  
Prue looked at her sister, tears welling in her eyes. Realizing the import of Phoebe's words, she inhaled sharply.  
"You mean - "  
"I mean, I am going to be your baby sister for the rest of my life," Phoebe vowed quietly, and the love behind her words was unmistakable.  
Even so, traitorous tears spilled down Prue's cheeks, and it took several moments - and a few tissues - before she could compose herself.  
"You're not mad at us?" Paige asked, worried.  
"No," Prue sighed sadly. "No, of course not. I should have realized, something like this was going to happen sooner or later. It's just - I'm going to need some time to take it in."  
"We won't be far away, Prue," Phoebe assured her sister. "We're planning to be the biggest part of your life - after your husband and kids, that is," she managed a grin for Darryl, and he smiled gratefully in return.  
"And we expect to be called for babysitting duty on a regular basis," Paige added, hoping to assuage Prue's grief.  
Prue managed a smile behind her tears. "Oh, I think that's a safe bet," she laughed. Then she sighed heavily, and leaned back against the couch, trying to absorb the blow.  
"Did you find a nice place?" she asked finally.  
"Actually, we did," Phoebe nodded, and she glanced at Paige, who also nodded. "And we want you and Darryl to come see it, too."  
"We will," Prue promised.  
"We need our big sister's blessing," Paige added.  
"Then you'll have it," Prue assured her.  
"There's just this one tiny problem - all the demons in the basement," Paige cautioned.  
"There are demons living in the building?" Prue was aghast.  
"Well, underneath it, anyway," Paige answered dubiously.  
"They're not powered demons, Prue, they're - " Phoebe struggled to find the right word. "They're crippled. They're demons with all the evil sucked out of them. They're pretty pitiful."  
"I don't feel sorry for them," Paige declared flatly.  
Haltingly, Phoebe and Paige related their adventures of the afternoon, how they had come upon an apartment that seemed to contain mystical energy similar to the Nexus, how they had met one of the building's ghosts, and finally, details of their encounter with the group of crippled demons pleading with Phoebe - believing her to be their long-lost Queen - to destroy the barrier shielding magic from the world, and begging her to restore them to full demonic health.  
Prue listened to the story carefully, every now and then asking a clarifying question, to assure herself she had all the facts. At the conclusion, she shook her head in self-disapproval.  
"I am so sorry, Phoebe," she apologized mournfully. "You too, Paige. If I thought for one minute you'd have been in any kind of danger, I would never have kept this from you."  
"Well, the genie's out now, Prue, so spill," Phoebe answered. "I need to know everything about the other me - and what to expect."  
Prue sighed again, trying to forcibly expel both her grief and her worry. "I told you about Cole Turner, I think."  
"You mentioned him."  
"He was your - Phoebe's - husband," Prue corrected herself. "And he was a very powerful demon."  
"Sorry, you let your sister marry a demon?" Paige's question wasn't meant to accuse, she was simply confused.  
"Sounds awful, doesn't it?" Prue agreed. "But here's the weird thing. Cole was a really great guy."  
Paige looked at her sister askance.  
"No, really," Prue insisted. "He was great with Phoebe. He was great FOR Phoebe. She had never been happier than she was with Cole. And - at least, early on - he gave up his demonic powers for her sake. Tried to walk a narrower path."  
Prue looked at both of her sisters, neither of whom were quite believing. "The main thing you need to know about Cole is, he genuinely loved Phoebe," she avowed. "And she loved him. True love. The real thing. They were - so right together. Even Piper and Leo could see that. And when they decided to get married, we all approved."  
"But obviously something went wrong," Phoebe remarked dryly.  
Prue bit her lip. "I spent a lot of time going over what happened next," she confessed. "Worried myself sick over the 'what ifs'. Second-guessing myself. But it's pointless now. Andy, Leo, Piper, Phoebe . . . they're all dead. And I'm never getting them back."  
Silently, Darryl reached over and placed his massive hand over Prue's smaller one, and she gave him a grateful smile.  
"There was . . . a war in Hell," Prue continued, her voice low and choked. "Most of it, I didn't understand myself, and still don't. But there was a . . . vacuum . . . at the very top of Hell's hierarchy. An absence of power. There's a name. The Source of All Evil."  
"That's what they called Phoebe," Paige interjected.  
"It's a title. An honorific. Like calling somebody the President. The Source is basically the King of Hell - or the Queen." Prue shook her head to dismiss the irrelevancy of her musing. "Anyway. Cole was high enough in Hell's hierarchy to be seriously considered as a candidate for the new Source. And as he got drawn into - well, I guess I'll call it, the Politics of Hell - he dragged Phoebe along with him."  
Prue was drawing herself into a tighter and tighter ball, shrinking into herself, remembering. "Phoebe became . . . cruel. Evil. She enjoyed making others suffer. I never - " Prue caught herself, and had to take several deep breaths before she continued.  
"My Phoebe was gone," she said brokenly. "As lost as if she'd died. And in her place was this person - this stranger - who only wanted the power of the Charmed Ones to leverage her husband's position in Hell. Failing that, she would rather have destroyed us all. And . . . she pretty much did."  
Prue could say no more, and buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders began to visibly shake as she wept silently. Darryl reached over, gathered Prue into his arms, and hugged her tightly. Phoebe and Paige exchanged a significant glance, then settled themselves in to wait as Prue's paroxysm of grief ran its course.  
It was several minutes before Prue could continue. She finally sat up, wiped her tears away, and exhaled with profound sorrow. But she couldn't raise her head, and continued her story with her head bowed.  
"At the time of the final battle, Phoebe was considered the undisputed Source," Prue's normally dusky voice had deepened into an almost baritone rasp. "She and Cole were still married, but there was no doubting who was the dominant partner in their relationship. Cole actually loved Phoebe so much that at the end he challenged her, tried to stop her from being completely consumed. She snapped his neck without a second thought."  
Involuntarily, Prue shuddered. "As far as any demon in the world knows, Phoebe Halliwell was, and still is, the Source of All Evil - the Queen of Hell. Even after she died, Phoebe's soul was never seen anywhere, in any realm afterwards - and speculation ran riot in the absence of any fact. It was loudly proclaimed that Phoebe would resurrect herself, not that there was any fact to back up such a claim."  
"And then I showed up," Phoebe said quietly. "And you were so certain I was her."  
"Just for a minute," Prue answered slightly defensively, looking up at her. "But it was obvious - just looking at you - how frightened you were, how lost, how alone - Phoebe never acted that way, ever. No matter how bad things got. She was always so confident, so sure of what she was doing. And at the end, so arrogant. You were none of those things. And - there was the fact that you were actually happy to see me," Prue added.  
After a moment, Phoebe got up out of her chair, walked over to the couch, and settled herself next to her grieving sister. She reached over and took Prue's hands in hers.  
"I'm your Phoebe now," she declared quietly. "And you are my Prue. And you and me and Paige, we are the true Charmed Ones. Forevermore."  
Phoebe hugged Prue tightly, tears of her own squeezing out of her eyelids. "You're my sister," she whispered hoarsely. "I love you, Prue. I will never leave you, or Paige, not ever. And any demon who thinks he can take on the Charmed Ones is gonna get his pimpled ass royally kicked."  
Paige got out of her chair, and Darryl graciously got up to allow the sisters to bond in a group hug.  
"I never deserved this second chance," Prue choked, still weeping. "I love you both so much."  
"And we love you," Paige declared empathically, draping herself across Prue's back, her slender arms tightly interwoven with Phoebe's to cradle their big sister. "And we're not going anywhere."  
"No, we're not," Phoebe agreed. "You're stuck with us, Prue."  
"Forever and ever," Paige murmured.  
"And a day," said Phoebe Halliwell.

* * *

The following Saturday, Phoebe, Paige, Prue, Darryl and Patience all went over to look at the apartment. Prue, who had remained subdued and grief-stricken all week, brightened noticeably as she entered the apartment, and after she'd made a complete circuit of the large space, poking her nose into every corner and cabinet, rewarded her sisters with a joyful, radiant smile.  
"This place is awesome, you guys," she declared. "I give my full approval."  
"You really like it?" Paige asked hopefully.  
"I do," Prue grinned. "You're right, Phoebe, this feels like another Nexus point right here. The good magic is very strong."  
"We were just looking for a place close to work," Phoebe retorted playfully, and Prue laughed.  
"Well, and close to you," Paige added. "We wanted to be able to be babysitters on a moment's notice."  
"I appreciate that, you guys, more than I can tell you," Prue admitted. "Thanks."  
"This place is huge," Darryl whistled, still meandering around the open, empty space. "I'm guessing, what, fifteen hundred square feet?"  
"I have absolutely no idea," Phoebe declared. "But I love how open the great room is."  
"The skylight adds a lot," Prue noted, looking up. "It brings in the light and makes the space seem even bigger. Those have to be the cleanest windows I have ever seen."  
"I know, right?" Phoebe marveled. "And it's not like anybody could climb up there to clean 'em. You'd have to stand on two ladders stacked on top of each other."  
"Best of all, it's only ten minutes to work, and just about the same time to get to your place," Paige added.  
"Sounds perfect," Prue agreed.  
"Now, we just need to do something about the neighbors," Paige made a face.  
"The neighbors?"  
"Yeah. The demons in the basement."  
"I haven't sensed even the faintest demonic presence, even walking into the building," Prue frowned. "You're sure the demons live here?"  
"Well . . . pretty sure," Paige answered. "The big talking frog thing said they lived down in the boiler room, or something."  
Patience was skipping gaily along the very edges of the great room, swinging her arms, singing to herself, the picture of ebullience.  
"Patience seems to like it here," Phoebe remarked, and then called out to her niece. "Hey, kiddo, would you like it if your aunties lived here?"  
"Yeah!" Patience crowed happily, and began to jump up and down with sheer exuberance. Prue sighed.  
"We're indoors, sweetie, please," she pleaded.  
"There's a nice little park not too far away from here," Phoebe suggested. "Once we're done here, we could take you guys over to see it. They have swings and slides."  
Prue watched her daughter's pent-up energy and grinned. "Maybe not a bad idea," she relented. She turned to Darryl. "After we've done that, and had some lunch, would you mind taking Patience home?"  
"You're going demon hunting?" Darryl asked, his expression a mixture of concern and disapproval.  
"Yes, we are," Prue admitted. Seeing Darryl was about to object, she took his hand and squeezed it tightly.  
"If what Phoebe says is true, we're in no danger," she assured him. "And as long as Paige and Phoebe and I stay together, we have the power of three to protect us. We'll be fine, Darryl. And Phoebe's right. We need to know what's going on."  
She shot a knowing glance at her sister, and Phoebe smiled back. 

* * *

After a relaxing lunch, and an afternoon in the park, Prue, Phoebe and Paige returned to the apartment building, and as they approached the entrance, the door obligingly swung open for them.  
Prue arched an eyebrow. "Does it always do that?"  
"Well . . . every time Paige and I have been here, yeah," Phoebe admitted.  
"I think it's creepy," declared Paige.  
"I think it's wonderful," countered Phoebe. "Especially if it's raining."  
"That's another thing," Prue added, as the sisters walked into the lobby together. "How do we get to the basement? Your elevator only has one button."  
"I've been thinking about that," Phoebe grinned. "I think it will take us wherever we want to go."  
Prue frowned. "What, you mean, just think about your destination, and press the button?"  
"Something like that. Hey, if you've got a better explanation for how it works, let me know."  
Prue shrugged. "We can try it."  
"You guys are not serious about this?" Paige asked. "The whole demon hunting thing?"  
"Sure we are," Phoebe declared.  
"It's okay, Paige, as long as we stick together, we'll be fine," Prue assured her.  
Phoebe's grin was so wide that Paige could not help demanding an explanation. "What are you so damn happy about?" she ruffed irritably. "You with the jack-o'lantern face."  
"You guys have no idea how I've longed for this," Phoebe gushed. "Just the three of us, out kicking demon butt."  
"You have seriously weird ideas about what's a good time, Pheeble."  
"I don't," Phoebe protested. "I could never do this kind of thing with my other sisters. Prue would always say it was too risky, and Piper would go hide in her bedroom if I even mentioned it."  
"If I thought we were walking into any real danger, this Prue would say it was too risky," Prue retorted dryly.  
"And once I have a bed in my new bedroom, I'll go hide in it," Paige added.  
"Oh, come on, you guys," Phoebe pleaded. "I've been waiting my whole life to do something like this with my sisters. This is like a dream come true for me."  
Prue sighed. "Well, I'm not calling it a dream, but I think it would be a good idea if we talked to your demons, Phoebe. So let's go find them."  
They walked over to the elevator together, and Paige grabbed one of Prue's hands in her left, and one of Phoebe's in her right.  
"Not gonna let go, huh?" Phoebe asked.  
"No way," Paige declared. "I'm with Piper. Hiding is always a good idea."  
"But you're not hiding," Phoebe assured her. "You are standing beside your sisters in the face of - well, whatever it is," she grinned. "You're all right, Shorty."  
"Pheeble, you call me Shorty one more time, and I'm going to break your nose."  
"All right, enough," Prue called them both to a halt. "Honestly. I think Patience shows more maturity than you two sometimes."  
Phoebe gave Paige a reconciliatory hug. "Sorry," she murmured. "I just forgot. I won't do it again."  
Paige made a small of 'harrumph' of discontent, but accepted the hug as apology. The elevator door slid open. After a moment of hesitation, the sisters stepped inside.  
"The catacombs beneath the basement, please," Phoebe said aloud, and her two sisters looked askance at her.  
"What?" Phoebe protested. "How else is the elevator supposed to know where we want to go?" She leaned over and pressed the button.  
The door closed noiselessly, but after closing, the cage shuddered violently for a brief moment, and the overhead lights went out, to be replaced by the red glare of the emergency light.  
"Oh, crap," Paige moaned.  
The elevator began to descend smoothly, still bathed in red light, but as it did so, the panels on the walls seemed to move. Paige tugged her sisters' sleeves and nodded towards the murals. The dragons in the pictures slowly began to uncoil themselves, writhing and hissing, and the pictures of the temples now appeared to have throngs of monks filing in and out. The murals seemed not only alive, but the subjects of the pictures seemed very much aware of the three women who were passengers - and looking directly at them. The sisters huddled closer together.  
After a long interval, the elevator came to a stop with a gentle thump. The door slid open, revealing nothing but utter darkness.  
"Welcome to Hell," Paige muttered under her breath.  
Prue shook her head. "This isn't Hell," she assured her sister.  
"How can you be sure?"  
"Because I've been there before, that's why."  
No sound or light emanated from the absolute darkness beyond the cage.  
"Well, I guess since nobody brought a torch, we're done here, right?" Paige suggested hopefully.  
Prue gave her sister a withering glance, then spread her hands about a foot apart, creating a globe of light.  
"Instant torch," she announced.  
Phoebe crinkled up her nose. "You guys smell that?" she almost whispered.  
Prue sniffed the air experimentally; Paige did likewise, and instantly recoiled. "Oh, my God!" she shuddered, hiding her face behind her coat sleeve. "What IS that?"  
Prue sniffed again. The odor was repulsive but not overpowering - yet. "Corpses," she decided.  
"What? You mean, dead people? Real dead people?" Paige was aghast.  
Prue shrugged. "Dead something. Let's go see."  
"No way," Paige declared, shrinking back.  
Phoebe caught her sister's arm by the elbow and pulled her close. "Hang on to me," she said quietly. "Just breathe through your mouth if the smell gets too strong."  
"I already wanna puke," Paige protested weakly.  
"Yeah, me too."  
"You won't let go?"  
"Never," Phoebe declared. "Promise."  
Prue very cautiously pushed her foot over the threshold. Despite holding her magical lantern out in front of her, the floor beneath - if there was one - remained invisible. Finding a solid surface, she planted her foot, not trusting to put her full weight on it just yet. She slid her foot forward.  
"There's a floor of some kind," she reported.  
Before she could step forward, her two sisters huddled against her.  
"Sticking close?" Prue grinned.  
"Hope you don't mind," Phoebe shuddered.  
"I don't mind," Prue assured her.  
She took another step, and now was outside the elevator cage, standing in what appeared to be absolute darkness - despite her lantern.  
"Don't go out there, Prue," Paige quavered.  
"I think it's all right, Paige," Prue answered calmly. "Phoebe, are you sensing anything?"  
"I'm completely creeped out, but I'm not getting any danger flashes," Phoebe answered reluctantly. "I think we're alone, Prue."  
"Yeah, I think so, too. Come on, you guys."  
As one, the sisters stepped out into the darkness.  
Prue cocked her head and listened.  
"Hear anything?" Paige whispered.  
Prue shook her head. "Complete absence of sound. Complete absence of light."  
"So what does that mean?" Paige pressed. "We're in the world's biggest sensory deprivation chamber?"  
Prue didn't answer, but began to shrink her lantern.  
"Uhh, Prue, what are you doing?" Phoebe asked apprehensively.  
"This lantern isn't going to help us here," Prue explained. "I'm going to try something else. You guys can hang onto my coat, but leave my arms free, please."  
Phoebe and Paige joined hands around Prue's waist and she smiled tolerantly at them.  
"I'm not going anywhere, you guys."  
"Says you," Phoebe muttered.  
Prue extinguished the globe. There was still the feeble red light from the elevator cage behind them, but it illuminated nothing. Ahead of them was absolute darkness and absolute silence.  
Prue raised her arms slowly, until her outstretched hands were level with her line of sight. She began to sing, softly, in a low monotone, in no words that Paige or Phoebe understood; but as she sang, the blackness seemed to roll away like fog, leaving behind a more natural darkness that light could penetrate.  
Prue sighed in satisfaction. "That's better," she declared. She lit her lantern again, and this time, the light penetrated the gloom. Prue tossed the globe high into the air, and it hovered several feet above them, revealing a large cavern that stretched away into further darkness.  
"What was that spell?" Phoebe asked.  
Prue shrugged. "Old Latin prayer," she explained simply. "Blessed be the light, shade of darkness, begone. Something like that."  
"Phoebe, Prue - look," Paige quavered, pointing.  
Several feet away, but surrounding them everywhere they looked, were prone bodies - and Phoebe and Paige recognized several of them as the demons they'd seen earlier.  
"Are they dead?" Paige could barely ask the question.  
The reek of decay was much stronger now, and all the sisters began breathing through their open mouths; even so, the stench was unbelievably foul.  
Prue started to walk towards the nearest prone form, but Phoebe reached out to hold her back.  
"Prue, don't," she pleaded.  
Prue frowned. "Premonition?"  
Phoebe shook her head. "No," she admitted. "I'm just scared."  
"Good. I'm scared, too."  
Prue walked over to the closest body and knelt beside it. After a cursory inspection, she stood up. "This one's been dead for days. I think most of them are."  
"Phoebe," Paige pointed to a nearby form.  
Phoebe's look changed to one of dismay. "Oh, no," she groaned.  
She knelt beside the form, and despite the corpse's bloating, there was no mistaking the enlarged toad with human hands.  
"Skritch," she sighed mournfully.  
"You knew him?" Prue asked.  
"No. Not really," Phoebe sighed again, clearly dismayed by the discovery. "He was the demon who spoke to me earlier. He was - he showed me great courtesy."  
"They're all dead?" Paige asked.  
"Looks that way," Prue nodded grimly.  
"Then what killed them?"  
"They weren't murdered, if that's what you're asking. Look at them all."  
"I don't want to," Paige shuddered.  
"None of them have wounds or visible signs of trauma. It's like - they just lay down and died."  
"They had no more magic," Phoebe's voice was so quiet her sisters could barely hear her. "They were starved of it."  
"What, they died from LACK of magic?" Paige frowned. "Is that even possible?"  
"It's more than possible," Prue assured her. "It's almost certain."  
Phoebe still sat crouched in front of the dead demon, staring at it disconsolately.  
"Phoebe? You okay?" Prue asked.  
Finally, Phoebe straightened up. She looked at her sister, her expression grim.  
"We have to fix this," she said quietly.  
"Yes, we do," Prue nodded in solemn agreement. She took her sisters by the arms. "Come on," she said. "We can't do anything for them. Let's get out of here."

* * * 

Having nowhere else close by to go, the sisters retreated to the empty apartment upstairs, to ponder what they had seen. As Paige re-entered the apartment, she glanced around her, frowning.  
"What is it?" Prue asked.  
"The magic up here is really strong," she remarked. "You can actually feel it."  
"Yes, it's very powerful," Prue agreed. "What are you thinking?"  
"Well, I'm just wondering, if our demon buddies downstairs were starving for magical energy, why didn't they just feast themselves on the stuff up here? Why starve to death, when food was right in front of them?"  
"Maybe they couldn't," Phoebe said, arms folded across her chest, her expression still grim. "Skritch wanted to know why I would even set foot in a place like this. If I was a being of pure evil, maybe it's not possible for me to absorb good magic. Maybe a place like this is poison to them."  
"Yeah, but why did this place survive at all?" Paige asked. "I mean, if all the magic was destroyed in the war, it should have destroyed this place too, right? So why do we have this little magical oasis?"  
"It must have been shielded somehow," Prue mused. "But even so, it's far from safe. It will only continue to exist if magic is returned to the world."  
"Which means, bringing the barrier down," Phoebe pointed out.  
"That's right, Phoebe."  
"So how do we do it?"  
Prue spread her hands helplessly. "I don't have the first idea," she confessed. "I'm sorry, Phoebe, I really don't know."  
Paige hopped up on one of the two barstools, the only pieces of furniture in the empty room. "You guys said that Piper created the barrier?"  
"Well, not intentionally," Prue objected. "But I think so, yes. It's her energy, her power, holding all that magic in place."  
"Well, then, the answer's obvious, isn't it," said Paige.  
Prue blinked, not comprehending. "What is?"  
"If the only person who can unfreeze the barrier is Piper, then we need another Piper," Paige declared.  
"And where are we going to get another Piper?" Prue shook her head, bewildered.  
"Same place we got Pheeble," Paige answered. "Her Piper is still alive."  
Phoebe and Prue exchange dubious glances with one another.  
"Calling a lost witch?" Phoebe asked.  
Prue blanched, and the look on her face was one of sheer terror. "No, Phoebe, no."  
Phoebe frowned in puzzlement. "Why not?"  
Prue's look of anguish was so intense Phoebe immediately regretted asking the question.  
"Uhh, is this the same thing as raising the dead?" Paige asked hesitantly.  
"It IS raising the dead," Prue declared, shaking her head violently, tears spilling down her cheeks. "And no. I won't ever consider that option again. Not ever. No. No. No."  
Seeing Prue's horrified reaction, Phoebe looked to Paige. "I guess . . . calling a lost witch doesn't work the same way here as it does in my world."  
Phoebe reached for Prue's hand. "Prue, you okay?" she asked with concern.  
Angrily, Prue wiped her tears away. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Phoebe, honest," she rasped. "I just - well, trust me, that is not an option we want to try."  
"But - can't we call another witch from somewhere else?" Paige asked. "I mean, someone who's still alive?"  
"Sweetie, even if we knew where to look, we don't know how to get back to my world," Phoebe pointed out. "Or how to bring somebody safely across."  
"Assuming they would come willingly in the first place," Prue added glumly, wiping her face with a tissue.  
"Oh, come on, you guys," Paige exhorted them. "I'm not the expert here, but you've opened portals before, right? And hell, the damn elevator in the lobby can portal us into demon realms. If a machine without a brain can do it, why can't we go find Phoebe's Piper, and bring her here to help fix this?"  
"And what happens then?" Prue asked quietly.  
"What do you mean?" Paige frowned in puzzlement.  
"Let's say, for the sake of argument, we figure out some magical way to cross realities. And that out of all the realities in space and time, we somehow find Phoebe's world, and we find her Piper. And she's willing to come back with us. And we bring her here. Then what?"  
Paige shook her head, still not understanding.  
"Does she stay here, with us?" Prue asked. "Leaving her other sister behind, all alone? Or maybe Phoebe goes home with Piper. Back to where she belongs. To her world that has two sisters that need her."  
Paige considered that, crestfallen.  
"You wouldn't leave me, Pheeble, would you?" she quavered.  
"Never," Phoebe declared emphatically, hugging her sister tightly. "You're my beautiful baby sister, and I'm not ever letting go of you. No matter what."  
In spite of herself, Paige sighed with relief.  
Phoebe looked at her sisters anxiously. "Guys, I have to be honest. I've already made my peace with being here. You are my family now. And if we start talking about any ideas that could even maybe break this family up, then I'm going to vote no. I've had my heart broken once. I won't do it again. I - can't do it again."  
Phoebe turned to Prue. "I was telling Paige earlier, just moving a few blocks away from you is almost more than I can handle at this point."  
"I don't want to lose you, either," Prue said softly. "All right. Then let's think of something else."  
"If none of us has Piper's power, I don't know, can we somehow borrow it temporarily?" Paige suggested.  
"There are transmutation of power spells," Prue nodded thoughtfully. "That might be something we could try."  
"What about a tempus spell?" Phoebe offered. "If the real problem is a barrier that's frozen in time, can we thaw it slowly, letting it catch up to regular time? Like opening a spillway or something."  
"Those are tricky," Prue shook her head. "I'd be more inclined to try an unbinding spell myself."  
"Can we unbind something that's not a person?" Phoebe asked, bemused.  
"It's possible," Prue shrugged. "The techniques are essentially the same."  
Paige closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "I'm getting a headache just thinking about all this."  
Prue smiled tolerantly. "Tell you what. Let's go home. I mean, back to my place. We'll make some tea, and we can sit on some real furniture while we try to figure this out."  
"Do we have to do this right now?"  
"Yes, Paige, we do."  
"But why?"  
Phoebe hugged her sister. "Paige . . . what happened to the demons is what's going to happen to us."  
"What, you mean - "  
"You've noticed how so many ordinary people around here act like they've had the life sucked out of them? In a weird way, that's exactly what's happened. And it can't go on indefinitely."  
"We've been in the coal mine," Prue added darkly. "You saw what happened to the canaries."  
"You mean, if we don't fix this - we all DIE?" Paige's eyes went wide.  
"Not just us, sweetie. Demons, angels, witches, regular people. Everybody," Phoebe said grimly. "Maybe not right away. But the longer we wait, the worse it will get."

* * *

The sisters returned to Prue's apartment, continuing their discussion until late in the afternoon. Seeing that the conversation wasn't ebbing in the slightest, Darryl gamely prepared a simple meal of broiled salmon, steamed asparagus and rice for everyone, leaving Patience with Prue only long enough to clean up the kitchen afterwards. Then he took the child into the bathroom to give her a bath before bedtime. For the first time in hours, the sisters took a break from their topic of discussion.  
Paige looked at her big sister admiringly. "You're really lucky to have Darryl," she commented.  
"I think so," Prue grinned.  
"I'm always so impressed, he just 'gets' us, all of us. Even the witchy stuff. He knows what we need, and he does whatever needs to be done. How'd you find such an amazing guy like that?"  
"I didn't. He found me." She smiled, but the smile didn't hide Prue's exhaustion. "Paige, it's getting late. If you want, you're more than welcome to spend the night."  
"Is that okay?" Paige asked. "I kinda feel like I've been camping out in your living room an awful lot."  
"Having my sisters around is never a problem," Prue declared. "And especially since you guys are moving out soon, I don't mind having you underfoot for as long as I can. When are you signing the lease?"  
"We're going over to leasing office on Monday."  
"I don't see why we need to," Phoebe laughed. "It's not like we need any keys. The building just lets us in whenever we want, and apparently the apartment has been sitting there waiting for us for months."  
"So, when is moving day?"  
"Well, if you and Darryl are free to help next weekend, I'll rope in Henry, and we could move in a week from tonight?" Paige asked hopefully. "If we're not busy with magical barriers or other witchy stuff, that is."  
"Sounds fine," Prue nodded, trying to lie as best she could.  
Phoebe hugged her big sister tightly. "Don't worry, Prue," she murmured softly. "You're gonna have to put up with me and Paige until we're all ninety and living in a nursing home together, surrounded by a hundred black cats."  
"Oh, God," Prue couldn't help laughing at the idea.  
"I just need to call Henry," Paige said. "Can I borrow your telephone?"  
"Sure," Prue nodded.  
"Your boyfriend isn't gonna be mad you're not coming home on a Saturday night?" Phoebe asked, only half teasing.  
"He usually goes out with the boys on Saturdays," Paige explained. "Sleepovers for us are usually weeknights. But even on the nights when we stay at our own places, I still have to call him and taunt him for a few minutes."  
"Knock yourself out," Prue grinned. "Phoebe and I will get your bed ready."  
About two hours later, Prue and Darryl retired to their own room, and Phoebe disappeared into her bedroom long enough to change into flannel pajamas, then she returned to the living room and clambered onto the hide-a-bed with Paige.  
"Don't you have a bed of your own to sleep in?" Paige teased.  
"I came to snuggle with my baby sister," Phoebe said matter-of-factly, worming her way under the blankets.  
"Good," Paige replied. "What's with the long underwear?"  
"In case you hadn't noticed, it gets cold in February. Are you gonna be okay like that?" Phoebe asked, referring to the fact that Paige was only wearing her camisole.  
"Prue left me like a hundred blankets. I'll be fine."  
Phoebe snuggled up next to Paige, leaning her head on her sister's shoulder in great contentment. Paige turned off the lamp next to the couch, and the room darkened. After a moment, the ambient light from the street made a faint outline on the patio curtains.  
"So, what are we gonna do, Pheeble?" Paige asked, her voice just above a whisper. "About the barrier, I mean."  
"I don't know, sweetie," Phoebe sighed. "We'll just keep kicking around ideas until we come up with something all three of us agree on."  
"I wish I could help more. But I don't know enough yet."  
"You're helping a lot," Phoebe assured her. "Prue and I don't have all the answers - in case you haven't figured that out. You really do help us keep a good perspective, though. And the fact that you're new to the craft actually helps, you ask a lot of questions about things that Prue and I would otherwise just take for granted."  
"Did that creep you out today?" Paige asked hesitantly. "Seeing all those dead bodies?"  
Involuntarily, Phoebe shuddered. "It creeped me out a lot," she admitted.  
"Me too. I don't know, do we need to call the police, or somebody?"  
Phoebe shook her head sadly. "They wouldn't be able to do anything. And I suspect that elevator wouldn't take them to where the bodies are, even if we told them. We might not have been in Hell, but wherever that cavern is, I doubt it's actually under the building."  
"Leaving them there . . . it just didn't seem right."  
"No. It didn't."  
"This is gonna sound so stupid, but - "  
"What is it, sweetie?"  
"Well . . ." Paige hesitated. "Those demons, they were like, innocents, in a way. Don't you think?"  
"With all their evil sucked out of them, I think they were innocent," Phoebe said thoughtfully.  
Paige mulled that over. "Aren't we supposed to be the protectors of the innocent?"  
"Yes," Phoebe agreed, somewhat uncomfortably. "But these were demons, Paige."  
"Does that matter? If they're innocents, then they're innocents. Right?"  
"Maybe, but I don't see what else we could have done," Phoebe answered. "If we had done as they asked, and given them all their demonic powers back, would that really have been any better?"  
"I guess not," Paige agreed reluctantly.  
"We might have had to immediately vanquish them. Or worse, die trying."  
"So, no chance they'd be grateful and turn into good demons, huh?"  
Phoebe almost laughed. _"Good_ demons?"  
"Well, you know what I mean," Paige sighed. "I just keep wondering if we could have, should have, done something more."  
"Maybe if we'd known earlier how much danger they were in, we might have acted differently," Phoebe replied. "Or maybe we would have done exactly the same thing. I don't know. There are many times when the results of our actions are a lot less than we'd hope for."  
_"That's_ for sure," Paige sighed again.  
"All we can really control is our intentions, Paige. And at the time we met those demons, we didn't act with any malice towards them. For the rest ... we'll just have to deal with the consequences. If and when there are any."  
They lay in companionable silence for a while, listening to the rain spattering against the windows. Phoebe had almost drifted off to sleep when Paige spoke again.  
"Why do you think my dad won't talk to me?" she asked in a heartbroken voice.  
"Oh, Paige. I really don't know," Phoebe answered. "But I think he's trying to watch out for you."  
"Stalking me is more like it," Paige said bitterly. "Why can't he just, you know, talk to me? Come up and say hello? Introduce himself? Does he think I'm gonna shoot him, or something?"  
"Well, he's obviously trying to hide," Phoebe mused thoughtfully. "But I'm not sure it's you he's hiding from."  
"It's just - now I know, he's been alive all this time, and he obviously knows where I am, and what I've been doing," Paige muttered. "He probably watched me go through all that hell I went through as a teenager and didn't once lift a finger."  
"Don't be too quick to judge him, Paige."  
"Yeah? Why not?"  
"Hey," Phoebe murmured softly, trying to defuse Paige's growing anger. "I have an absent father too, remember? Relationships with parents can be . . . complex. And we don't always have all the answers, why they do what they do."  
"I just want to know what happened. Why he abandoned me. Is that so wrong? I have a right to know that, don't I?"  
"Well, the situation has changed," Phoebe pointed out. "You know he's alive now. And, your father also knows we're onto him. So there's no point in his hiding any longer. I'm hoping that will be enough for him to show himself."  
"When he saw us, he looked scared."  
"Yes, he did," Phoebe agreed.  
"He's not scared of - me, is he?" Paige could hardly venture the question.  
"I think it's more likely he's scared FOR you," Phoebe mused.  
"If he's scared for me, then why didn't he show himself when I was basically trying to kill myself? Why didn't - "  
"Ssh," Phoebe whispered. "Keep it down. We don't want to wake Prue or Patience."  
Paige sighed disconsolately. "I just - he's my dad. I want him to tell me why he's never been there for me," she said finally.  
"I know, sweetie, I know."  
"Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy I found you guys, but I still would have much rather grown up with you."  
"Maybe that was a blessing," Phoebe pointed out. "From what Prue told us, maybe you would have ended up dead, like our other sisters, had you been raised with the rest of the family."  
"Well, that's a depressing thought," Paige grumbled.  
"Paige, I get to see the future sometimes, but I still can't figure things out any more than anyone else can," Phoebe confessed. "I don't know why things work out the way they do. But I can say, I feel so blessed to have found you and Prue. If our lives hadn't started out the way they did, then maybe we would never have met. And no matter what else, I can't say I'm sorry to have found you."  
"I'm glad I found you too, Pheeble."  
Paige squeezed her sister's hand gently under the blankets.  
"So. Who do you think it was that Prue resurrected?" Paige asked. "You, or Piper?"  
"Jesus, Paige."  
"I can't help thinking about it," Paige protested. "What the hell happened to her that was so bad?"  
"I don't know, sweetie. We may not ever know."  
"It had to be one of our sisters."  
"Not necessarily," Phoebe pointed out. "It could have been Andy. Her first husband."  
"Yeah, I suppose that's true," Paige mulled over the idea. "I hadn't thought of that. I just can't help wondering, though. What happened to Prue, that would make her say, no, I never want to see my sisters, or my mom, or my grandparents - ever again? If I had that power, I would be talking to dead relatives all the time."  
Paige turned over on her side, so she and Phoebe could talk face to face, despite the darkness.  
"Have you ever raised the dead?" she asked.  
Phoebe made a snort of bemusement. "Well, sort of," she admitted. "When I was in my other world."  
"Tell me about it," Paige pleaded.  
"My sisters and I used a spell, 'Calling a Lost Witch', to raise the spirit of Melinda Warren, our many-times-great-grandmother, the founder of our line."  
"But nothing bad happened to you?"  
"Nope," Phoebe answered. "We brought back Melinda to help us fight a demon. She stayed with us for about a week, and after the demon was vanquished, she went home to her own time. And she was such an amazing person. We learned so much from her, and we really enjoyed having her company."  
"So why can't we do that? Why is it so different here?"  
"I have no idea. But I believe Prue when she says we shouldn't try it." Phoebe reached for her sister's hand under the covers. "So many things are different here," she mused. "It's not just the cars or the phones or the lack of computers. Everything . . . is just a little different," she said helplessly, not sure how to articulate her experiences. "A little bit . . . off . . . compared to the world I'm from. So yeah, I trust Prue absolutely, if she says a certain spell is too dangerous to cast, then I say we don't try."  
The sisters lay together side-by-side in silence for a time, each digesting her own private thoughts.  
"I'm sorry you can't go home, Phoebe," Paige whispered.  
It was a long moment before Phoebe replied. "Yeah. I'm sorry too," she admitted sadly.  
"I really love you."  
"I love you too, sweetie."  
"You'll stay with us forever, won't you?"  
"Forever and a day," promised Phoebe Halliwell.  
The sisters drifted off to sleep then, the dull soft roar of the rain lulling them into deep, untroubled slumber.

* * *

Phoebe awoke to find her niece Patience wedged firmly in between herself and Paige. Some time during the night, the child must have left her own bed, and wormed her way into the sofa bed between her aunties. A faint light could be seen in the kitchen, and she could hear her sister Prue softly humming to herself, along with the gurgle of the coffeepot. The smell of brewing coffee and fresh-baked apple muffins reached her nostrils. Phoebe closed her eyes again and smiled to herself, suddenly aware of an intense, abiding happiness. She was with her true family and all was right with the world.  
After a few minutes, she stirred and stretched, trying not wake her niece or her sister. She slipped from the sofa bed and returned to her own room, quickly dressing herself in sports bra, hooded sweatshirt and sweat pants for a quick sprint around the neighborhood. She stopped into the kitchen first to greet Prue, who was still in her nightgown and bathrobe.  
"Hey, good morning," Prue greeted her with a radiant smile, then noted her sister's attire. "Good grief, you're not going for a run this morning, are you?"  
"Why not?" Phoebe asked.  
"Well, for starters, it's only like thirty degrees outside."  
"Yikes," Phoebe shuddered. "Well, I'll be quick then."  
"You could go a little later in the day, when it's warmer," Prue pointed out.  
"Yeah, I know," Phoebe answered. "But if I wait until later, then I always end up not going. And I really could use the exercise."  
"Fair enough. You won't be gone long?"  
"I'll be back in time for breggfirst," Phoebe promised with a grin.  
Phoebe took the stairs instead of the elevator down the ground floor to help limber herself up, then did some quick stretching exercises in the deserted lobby before heading out. Even in the lobby, the bitter winter cold penetrated, and Phoebe could easily see her own breath; she would have to keep moving briskly to stay warm. Finally, she headed out onto the street.  
The sun was just barely rising as she headed out, and the streets in deep shadow had a thin glaze of ice on them, and every manhole cover was steaming.  
Sprinting carefully because of the treacherous ice patches, Phoebe headed up the hill in the direction of the park, finding the grassy patches covered with hoarfrost. She looped the park, and headed back down the hill towards the apartment building, but suddenly, her foot slipped on a patch of black ice, and she went sprawling to the concrete.  
Grimacing with pain, Phoebe sat up and gingerly felt both her elbow and ankle. She couldn't even touch her elbow without flinching, and her ankle was already starting to swell. She had to get home quickly, while she could still walk. Gritting her teeth, she was about to try getting to her feet, when she realized she was not alone. Looking up, she found herself surrounded by three tall figures dressed in black flowing robes with red and gold sashes. The creatures were male, not bestial, but not human either. Phoebe drew in a sharp breath.  
"Oh, boy," she muttered first to herself. "Listen, guys, if you're about to address me as Your Majesty - "  
"You are not the Queen of Hell," the first and tallest of the figures intoned. "You are the imposter."  
"Oh," Phoebe said, not sure if such an understanding was entirely in her favor. "Uhh . . . good. I'm glad we got that out of the way, at least."  
"You will come."  
"Uhh, yeah. I don't think so. You see - "  
"You will come," the figure repeated, and his companions knelt beside Phoebe. With surprising gentleness, they helped Phoebe to her feet, but as they did so, black tendrils seemed to grow from the hems of their robes, firmly binding her arms and legs.  
"Now just a minute - " Phoebe started to protest in alarm, but the first figure held up a large, skeletal hand with mottled grey skin, passing it in front of her face in a waving gesture, and Phoebe's head lolled to one side, eyes closed, her body going limp.  
Their prize secured, the demons moved closer together, holding Phoebe tightly between them. Their forms and features appeared to writhe like black smoke, and then they vanished utterly, leaving only a half-melted patch of ice on the sidewalk to indicate where they had been.


End file.
